When To Stop Working During Pregnancy

Decision time: Should you start maternity leave before or after baby arrives? Here's when other moms stopped working.

This is one of those (yep, another one) “everybody’s different” situations. Some moms choose to work up until the very last minute in order to save up their maternity leave days for after baby arrives. Others choose a “last day” in advance in order to have a break before their due date, or make arrangements to work from home in the final days.

We asked the new moms on our message boards for their take on leaving the office, and here’s what they had to say:

"I worked until the very end. My water started to leak while I was at work!" —
senecamom

"I set a specific day. My last day was at 37.5 weeks. I had about a week and a half to run errands, do last minute shopping, and relax before I went into labor." — mrsbilodeau

"I will definately work up until the last minute next time. I had an amazing pregnancy and I think its because I stayed moving." — kbv

"My last day at work was my due date. I went into labor the next day and didn't go in. I didn't want to lose a single day with my baby!" — dnagal

"I worked from home the week I was due, so I didn't have to drive to and from work and it was just easier all together." — jomar

"Personally, if I'd had a week or month off before my EDD, I would have been bored out of my mind." — krub

"I think that it is great to leave work a week or two early. Get a pedi and mani for goodness sake while you still can!" — GigaGal

"I quit at the six month mark, knowing that I would not be returning to work and needing some time to myself before the baby came. It was the best decision I ever made." — MLE21707

"I was due on 11/7 and my last day was 11/8 (overdue). It was VERY uncomfortable for me, but I'm glad I made it through and didn't use up more time than I had to. I saved it all up to be home with my baby before returning to work." — Blushing051505

"I am glad I worked up until he arrived. I felt good, never had time to sit and think about how uncomfortable I was, and I think it has helped me jump back much quicker." — Laroogirl